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Lian Li PC-O11 Air USB 3.1 Gen 2 header

Hi Everybody,

I bought a Lian Li PC-O11 AIR case with a USB 3.1, Gen 2, 10Gb, Type-C header. I am installing an EVGA X299 Dark motherboard. Alas, the EVGA X299 Dark has everything I want except a place to plug in the cable from the Lian Li USB Type-C header panel. That is, my motherboard does not have the female connector like the U31G2_1/U31G2_EC1 I see on several ASUS motherboards. The cable from the Lian Li header seems to want a USB 3.1, Gen 2, female connector on the motherboard, though I suspect that connector has a more precise name. I have searched high and low and I canít find the name for the connector. I have attached images of a cable like the one coming from the front of the Liam Li PC-O11 case and of the female connector I see on boards that have one.

I have found a German part from a company called DeLOCK. Their part is # 89603 Internal SATA, USB 3.1 interface cards/adapter - also described as PCIe x4 - 1x USB 3.1 Gen2, Controller. This has a place to plug in the very odd-looking cable coming from the Lian Li PC-O11 Air front panel. Alas, this part is not sold in the US. I suspect DeLOCK has not gotten regulatory approval or has some similar issue.

Does anyone know of a US available part that will connect the Lian Li USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C header to an EVGA X299 Dark motherboard? I assume this will need to connect to PCIe and use 4 lanes from either the CPU or the PCH.

Also, assuming I do find the part... Does anyone know if PCH can handle 10Gb USB 3.1 Gen 2 so I can avoid giving up 4 CPU lanes for the PCIe card?

Thanks in advance to all the folks who generously share their knowledge and expertise.

Re: Lian Li PC-O11 Air USB 3.1 Gen 2 header

Okay, finally figured it out. The Key A card supports 1 USB Type-C port or 1 Standard-A port. The Key B card supports 2 Standard-A ports. Since the Lian Li PC-O11 Air has a USB Type-C connector, I need the card with the Key A connector. That is the Delock Item No. 89603.

Side note: The connector from the front of the Lian Li case will fit either card. That is, it fits both the Key A card (Item # 89603) and the Key B card (Item # 89801). So much for this being a keyed connector, despite the name. Since the cable is coming from a Type C connector, I think it should only fit the Key A socket--especially when the connector is named "Key A".

I have not tried powering on either at this point, and I am not sure powering up the wrong card is a good idea. Pins 12 and 13 are TX2+ and TX2- for the Key A and the opposite, TX2- and TX2+ for the Key B. That is a big voltage difference, and is plenty of volts to blow up a chip.

Lian Li should have given more guidance with this. The Lian Li manual says absolutely nothing.

To cross check this, I looked at an ASUS motherboard board that has a built-in connector for the type of cable coming from the front of the Lian Li case. The pins are exactly the same as the documentation for a Key A 20-Pin Connector. I found the information in a pdf named USB3p1_Front_Panel_CabCon_Implment_Doc_Rev1p1.pdf, which is titled "USB 3.1/USB Type C Desktop Front Panel Cable and Connector Implementation Document" and is put out by "USB Implementers Forum, Inc." whoever that is. That document has the pin specifications for the Key A and the Key B connectors. They are very different.

Bottom line, I think it is the Key A and Part number 89603. I'll see if anything starts smoking or catches fire when I turn it on.

Re: Lian Li PC-O11 Air USB 3.1 Gen 2 header

Did you manage to solve the issue? I'm running into the exact same problem.
I thought of purchasing a low profile usb 3.0 extension and then hooking it up to usb 3.0 to 3.1 adapter, however, it is a bit expensive.